Monday, September 15, 2008

With the League set aside for now after the win over Udinese, Juventus have begun the countdown to their Champions League debut. On Wednesday night, at the Olimpico, Russian Champions Zenit St. Petersburg will be the Bianconeri's first official opponents in the top European tournament, two years after Juve last took part.

In view of this tough game, the team resumed training immediately just a few hours after the win against the team from Friuli. The Bianconeri worked this afternoon in Vinovo. As ever, those who played on Sunday held a lighter session than those who didn't, who trained as normal. Among them was also Cristiano Zanetti, who missed the League game as a precaution but will be available again for the European debut.

The countdown to the game will continue tomorrow, Tuesday September 16th. As is the tradition in the Champions League, the eve of the match will be dedicated to the official press conferences. Both the Bianconeri's one (featuring Ranieri and Del Piero) and the Russians' one will take place at the Olimpico Stadium, and both teams will also carry out their last training session on the pitch there (see schedule).

Meanwhile, sale of tickets continues. Just over 48 hours from the event, 17,500 tickets have already been sold. Therefore, there are still a few seats available for the fans. The online phase of the sale has ended, but fans can buy their tickets in the officially sanctioned Lottomatica outlets.